Jōshō Doku (rising poison)
by Josho nikushimi
Summary: From the Jōshō series. Raised to hate, and destroy. Children die every day for their village, but all of them have one thing in common. They cared for something at one point. But how can you care when you've never been loved?
1. Chapter 1

I floated in an endless blackness and muffled sounds that sounded like voices. I was mildly aware of something soft on my back, and an itchy cloth around my lower half. It was liked this for a very long time, and I was left to my muddled, and disorientated thoughts. When it finally did start to fade it was slow and somewhat annoying. The voices in my head made sense now as my body grew. The voices were people whose blurry figures slowly came into focus. Except there was one that seemed to have no body. It was familiar, and I passed the time by think speaking to it.

The voice was like a loving parent, and it soothed me when the people touched me. Their touch hurt, and every time I felt someone's hand against my skin images flashed through my mind. It was a brown-haired woman with a pale hand raised above a bruised blond girl cowering before her. It frightened me when then a new stone grave, decorated with poison ivy vines would appear. The grave was clean and new yet the vines grew. The stone had an inscription on it as well, but I couldn't read the language it was in.

The fear of being touched by the older people passed after a while and was replaced with a fear of people in general. They crowded me too much, and when they did I didn't cry but a reached out, and a black glow surrounded my hand. The people backed up then, looks of pure terror plastered on their face.

Perhaps, I had released too much KI (Killer intent) and started them too much, because as soon as I turned one they tossed me out. Their voices were still weirds, but when they screamed I understood.

I liked their screams.


	2. Chapter 2

Three Years Later I was four, and surprisingly enough I was well fed. After crawling from, the door to the side of the road. I man had passed by a few hours later, and found me. He had reached out to touch me, but I forced the black glow to encase me.

"My my. What do we have here?" He had laughed. Soon after he had invited me to stay in his home. I agreed suspicious, but conceded, and crawled after him.

It didn't take long for him to invite me permanently to his home, and I smiled and nodded my head in a silent yes. He lived alone, and I drew up the conclusion that people were frightened of him when I was three years old.

His house was covered with poison supplies, and he taught me how to make his poisons as soon as I agreed to move in with him. He slowly gave me doses of all his poison one time a day so I could become immune to them since he never bothered to create antidotes.

Every week he began giving me more, and I can't say I didn't like some of the tastes. Some of his solids tasted like candy so it was nearly impossible to detect that the sweet would kill you. All of his poison led to death in various pain levels.

No surprise that I began working as his apprentice after I learned that I could be a ninja, and kill people. I still didn't like people, but Chiro-sensei was ok. I allowed him to touch me, but I still saw the images when he did.

Ok… back to the present.

"Hey, Saku-chan!" Sensei yelled from the kitchen of the 3 roomed apartment we lived in. I stood, and was there in a second, applying my speed training. Without turning to see if I was there he barked out a question. "I know you're four and all, but I think you should start at our academy. Do you want to go?"

"Yes sensei." I grinned nearly jumping out of my skin, but I soon masked my face and became a stone child. "Sorry, I was just excited." Emotions are a weakness.

"Great! The academy year starts tomorrow, but you'll be taking a test in a few hours because I believe you are beyond the first years, and they agreed to test you."

"Thankyou sensei."

Then I bowed turned and started to prepare my own poisons for the test to some. I'm certain they will test me in my way of killing. I laughed, and I felt Chiro-sensei's chakra spike in concern for the people testing me.


	3. Chapter 3

Of course, I had to take into consideration that with ninja it was either use or be used. I honestly didn't mind being used to kill for my village, but the fact that the three people testing me were looking down at me with unbelieving eyes annoyed me.

I blew a strand of hip-length black hair from my face, and the staring contest continued. Chiro-sensei had said that one of the many side effects of becoming immune to one of his poisons was your hair growing faster, so that was explained, but I didn't really understand my eyes.

Every time I went out in public I placed henge over my eyes so I didn't frighten people. My eyes were bright red, and when I grew annoyed or angry they turned a deep blood red. To fix that I would most likely need to extend my patience.

I snapped back into focus as one of the examiners grunted, "Well kid. Show us what you got."

"Poisons," I replied, "Was there something specific you would like to see?"

They all shook their head, warily eyeing the seals of sealing on the black belt I wore. It matched with the black shinobi shorts that were a bit big, and the close fitting shirt, a kinder woman has fitted to my size. Chiro-sensei said I wore too much black, but it helped me blend into the shadows that were my home.

"Are you able to position yourself at free will?" The shortest one probed the past question forgotten. I won't even bother explaining what they look like since they're using a transformation Jutsu.

"I'd be a pretty bad poison master if I couldn't," I replied calmly smiling at them. The frowned, and came together to a silent agreement.

I was ready for it when the tallest one launched himself at me a kunai knife in hand. I chuckled, and sidestepped, "You'll have to try harder than that." They took the bait I placed out for them, and all three came at me from different sides.

This was going to be awesome. I jumped, and they skidded to a stop an inch away from a head collision. When I came back down I shoved two heads together with my feet, while at the same time reaching down with a hand and forcing the last head into the collision. They crumpled out cold.

Hm… I thought it would take longer. They didn't use any of their Jutsu other, and the henge didn't come off when they started taking a nap. That means there's at least one more, who's holding the transformation Jutsu with his own chakra.

If he is I can trace his chakra signature while it travels through the air to the bodies. I looked up into the gray sky and frowned. It wasn't that misty today… it feels weird when the sky's this clear.

The mist seemed to be slowly fading, and I released a mist Jutsu to fix the air around me. The mist was normal for me, and my eyes could see through it, but then again many mist shinobi could either see or smell through the mist.

I waited for the examiners to wake up, and when they did they groaned and rolled onto their backs. "You pass kid… dang, and I thought chunin were supposed to be better than four-year-olds."

"You can join the kid we got last year. Zabuza (forgot his last name.) the demon of the hidden mist."

The third one shuddered, "Killed all the kids from last year, and never even went to the academy."

I smiled sweetly and left knotting a black headband around my forehead. Chiro-sensei was waiting for me in the street before the academy.

"Of course you passed. I had no doubt." I nodded, and we headed home in the thinning mist.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do NOT own Zabuza!**

 **I'm trying to come up with a sensei. So… if you have any ideas feel free to give suggestions.**

-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-

Apparently, Chiro-sensei wasn't permitted to watch me anymore now that I was a graduate, and it had been decided that I would be staying at the same home as Zabuza, my demon teammate.

He most definitely was not a fan of me, but he didn't seem to care if I was around or not. Most often I was holed up in my room poisoning rats and stuff. My demon roommate seemed rather curious to why a four-year-old was joining his team, and practicing on dead bodies.

Yes, I said bodies. I was given permission to dig up bodies from a newer graveyard to practice on because none of the many citizens, ninja, and civilian alike really care about the dead. We didn't have a sensei yet because nobody volunteered to work with the demon child Zabuza.

He didn't seem to mind, and we spared sometimes, always ending in me losing. I sadly couldn't use my poisons, and I would probably accidentally kill him trying to use senbon on non-threatening places.

I'd never learned that from Chiro, and Zabuza-san didn't want to teach me, so I dealt with losing to him… a lot.

This night was one of the few nights where Zabuza watched me work, and there was an odd look of disgust on his face, as I mashed a brain with my fingers into a mush. I was dissecting the body, and slowly extracting all the oils I used in a few of my poisons.

"Why do you even do that?" Zabuza grunted, his nose wrinkling.

"I use the human body oils in some of my poisons."

He nodded, and his face scrunched even more, "But you're four correct?"

"Yes."

"So then you're a four-year-old killer?"

"Yes."

"Do you like what you're doing?"

"Yes."

"You're weird."

"Yes."

We lapsed into silence, and I continued working, my annoying roommate, and teammate peering over my shoulder. I pulled the person's heart from their chest through a long cut I had made across their chest.

I cut the trailing organs, and blood vessels, and placed the slimy object beside me. Hm… I guess I could continue tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke the next morning Zabuza was standing over me, eyes wide. "Are you ok?" I asked raising an eyebrow. He nodded. Who knew that the killer of hundreds would be so… er, curious, and kind.

"I was just trying to find out why they let a four-year-old like you pass."

I glared at him, "Well I'm sorry for not wanting to kill you." I snapped as he jumped away, and into the hall. "If you wanted me to kill you just ask."

I raised a poison covered senbon that was resting on my dresser, and he darted away. I smirked placing it in my mouth. Hm… I wonder why the poison tastes so good. I stood, and darted out of the room, using a Jutsu I had designed to change quickly, storing my P.J's in a time space.

"Oh, Zabuza." I sang sweetly, words a hidden treat. "Why don't you come out, and play?"

"Creepy child! That's a poisoned senbon!"

I laughed, and I hear him stumble from around the corner, "Come out, come out wherever you are."

-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-

The entire morning was spent with my fear filled teammate running for his life, and telling my many oddities. When he mentioned my eyes I impaled his shoulder with a poorly thrown kunai that was laying around. I still had to work on my Kuni throwingIi only ever practiced with senbon.

"Annoying brat." Zabuza muttered as he gathered up the kunai HE had left all over the apartment, "Why did they even make you move in with me!"

I cleared my throat smiling, "I'm four. It is against the village laws for someone my age to live alone, even if they are a ninja."

He glared at me, and turned away a small pout visible from underneath the bandages covering his face. I smiled sweetly, and remove the senbon from my mouth. Sadly i had eaten the poison hours ago, and had to move on to the other poisons i was trying to build up an immunity for.

I'm hungry… why did i skip breakfast for something as trivial as this anyway?


	6. Chapter 6

I was really getting tired of having to wait for a sensei. Couldn't our Kage just assign someone to us? It's not like they would die or anything, right? I was shaken from my thoughts as Zabuza waved a hand in front of my face.

"Is everything alright Saku-chan? You were staring at the wall."

I glared at him, "Haven't you ever heard of a thing called thinking, you dimwit?"

"That's mean Saku-chan. I've never said anything so offensive to you before." He placed a hand over his chest faking hurt. "It hurts that you think so lowly of me."

"Well, I'm not I a particularly good mood today. I'm tired of waiting for a sensei to come and train us. No offense, but sparring with you is boring! I can't kill you if you're on my team!"

"No offense taken." Zabuza assured, "I agree with you. Whoever will end up as your sensei won't have much to do anyway, so he should just show up. Hm… I never thought I'd hear an inosine four-year-old complain about not being able to kill."

"It's the life of a ninja to kill, I just happen to enjoy it, much like you to Zabuza-san, so I would greatly appreciate you not calling my motive's frightening or creepy."

"Ugg! You sound like a walking, and talking library!"

"I'm not a library. I just happen to know more basic information about shinobi than you."

"..." He stared at me blankly, "In my defense, I never went to the academy."

"Nor did I."

"..."

"..."

Zabuza began walking away from where I sat perched on the counter, "This got weird real fast."

I nodded and agreed with him silently. Neither of us was much for having long conversations.

I looked out the one window I could see from where I sat and groaned. How was it night already I feel like I just woke up minutes ago!


	7. Chapter 7

Turns out I still have a bad habit of spacing out whenever I don't want to listen to someone, and Zabuza had told me something he thought was very important that I needed to know. Being the four-year-old I am I spaced out, and didn't listen.

So when someone knocked on the door this morning while I was eating a bowl of cereal there were already three senbon needles in the air aimed at the door. Zabuza's sword came down quickly, stopping them, but spreading a thin layer of my poison over his blade.

"I told you this morning that we had someone coming over! Weren't you listening to me!"

"No"

He fumed, and pushed it to the side, and opened the door after leaning his sword up against the wall. On the other side of the doorframe was a man most likely in his mid-thirties, with short brown hair, and green eyes that darted everywhere like a frightened rabbit. "I-I'm y-your Sensei. M-my n-name i-is Seikatsu."

Oh. So our Sensei was a man turned coward at the sight of Zabuza, and he seemed to be looking at me for help. Didn't he know that I honestly just wanted someone I could use my Poisons on? Too bad, his parents named him Vie meaning life if he wasn't going to be alive anymore soon.

"Saku-chan, no," Zabuza warned holding up a hand, still turned away from me.

Frowning I lowered my senbon again, "But if he's our sensei I just wanted to see how well he could dodge. He doesn't look very promising."

Now Seikatsu-sensei looked petrified when he realized I was just about to throw one of my poisoned senbon at him. Poor guy, I don't think he realized that both of us were sadists. Well, at least we had a Sensei now. I was starting to become annoyed.


	8. Chapter 8

I watched the man skeptically as he flinched under our gaze. "So, you're worthy of being a Sensei, or did they just not care if you died?"

He gulped as I finished, and eyes the senbon I was weaving through my fingers while he panicked, "P-please d-don't k-kill me! I-i'm s-so s-sorry i-if I d-did s-something w-wrong t-to y-you." He stuttered.

"I don't like this one Zabuza. Are we allowed to send him back?"

Zabuza turned to glare at me, "I find this one amazing Saku-chan. Perhaps you just wish to kill someone?" I glared back at him and released some killing intent. Our Sensei flinched from his spot on the floor even though I wasn't directing my killing intent at him.

Smirking slightly, Zabuza added in his own blood thirst, and I was aware of the smell of tears in the air, and when I turned to glare at our crying sensei a puddle spread out from beneath him.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust, "You can get rid of him." Zabuza hissed covering his nose. "How does it even smell so bad?"

The senbon dug into his skin, and he convulsed. I cried louder, and this time it sounded pained. I looked down. I had moved my hand from the spot where it had been hovering over mild poison to some of my strongest stuff.

Oops, he'll be in pain for another hour before he dies. His cries got steadily louder, and his skin was turning the appropriate black color to show that the poison was in his blood system now.

"You clean it up," I ordered turning to Zabuza. "I killed this one, so you have to clean up after it."

"You make it sound like killing our Sensei was a chore." Zabuza huffed, "And I will not clean up after a grown man."

I looked up at him, and smiled, "But I only fwore. I don't know how to cwean."

"Fine! I'll clean it up if you start talking correctly."

"See, wasn't so hard was it."

"Slave driver."

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing."

"Ok, get cleaning!"

"Br..oww!"


	9. Chapter 9

The next day was uneventful, and I spent most of the time throwing senbon at a picture on the wall. The picture was of a flying bird, and I aimed for where it's heart would be. Sighing I threw another senbon at the wall splitting my previous throw down the middle.

"How did you do that?" Zabuza asked walking up from behind me to where I was spread out upside down on the couch.

"Just like most people throw Kunai."

"Nu uh. Throwing one of those pointy sticks it much harder than throwing Kunai, and the hand position is weird.

"Hmm…

"You have nothing to say? I just complimented you!" Zabuza glared at me, and I lazily threw another senbon nailing the birds one visible eye.

"I'm bored."

"Do something then!"

"Like what?" I finally looked up at the twelve-year-old, and threw a senbon over his shoulder, and nailing a frog that had just jumped over the window ledge. Zabuza turned, and his eye's widened.

"You seem to like killing things go kill something!"

I nodded, and stumbled to my feet, my baggy black clothes rustling slightly as I did so. I wobbled lazily to the door, but didn't bother opening it, and just flickered away to a training ground. There was a man there already, and I walked up to him slowly.

His eyes snapped to me, and I walked drunkenly forwards. So bored… The man threw a few Kuni, and they sailed past me when I stumbled. I launched forwards and landed atop him pinning him down. I took out a plain senbon and trailed it along his jaw, and a thin line of blood mixing with his sweat.

Chuckling, and drew with the senbon cutting a pattern into his skin as his eyes cried out his pain.

DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE DISGUSTING BLOODY TORTURE!

I trailed the senbon around his left eye's and slowly dug into his eye's with the senbon. He finally screamed, and I laughed louder digging the eye from its socket and letting it dangle to the side. I cut a few of the trailing veins, and muscle, and it bounced to the ground rolling away.

The senbon I had used dug into his lip, and I removed it slowly as he whimpered.

"You're too loud dear, you'll have to be quite." I dug into his lip again, and he let out another scream. Frowning i pulled out a needle, and threaded it. I slowly sewed together his lips, and he flinched beneath me the screams muffled now by his lips.

I laughed, and released a hand from under my knee. I took his hand and spread out his fingers over his chest. Slowly i stabbed through his thumb, and pinned it to his chest. I proceeded to pin the rest of his fingers, and his other hand. There were tears coming from the man's remaining eye now, and i laughed loudly.

I jumped up, and pinned him to the ground with a few more senbon, before vanishing into the trees, and watching.

IF YOU DID NOT READ THE TORTURE YOU CAN READ FROM HERE AGAIN!

The shinobi I had sensed coming from behind me, most likely drawn forwards from the screams of pain ran to the man pinned to the ground immediately. One bent over as his two friends viewed the body, and released his lunch.

I smiled and disappeared into the tree's just as they ended the man's life in pity.


	10. Chapter 10

The entire village was on lockdown when the body was found, and Zabuza went and viewed the body, the entire while he was home after that he was shooting me looks that said 'did you do it?'

Of course he never got an answer but he sure seemed to want one. I refrained from doing again, not wanting to start a war against myself and the village. So i stayed bored killing small flies and sutch as they passed by, and making lot's and lot's of poisons.

Lucky for me the two of us started being sent out without a sensei, and none of them where the annoying D-ranks most new genin go on. Not that i was complaining, but they just seemed really boring.

It didn't come as much of a shock when Zabuza suggested we abandon the village. For the past few years we had been going out and killing for our village but they never respect us. There wasn't really a point in staying in the village so on our next mission we planned to defect.

"Zabuza, and Saku, I send you out to kill a man named Kira Kyuga." We nodded and bowed to our kage for the last time. We left instantly upon getting our orders. When we exited the village gates we turned dragging a kunai through our headbands and showing our abandonment to the village.

Then we vanished, leaving the place we were supposed to call home. Time passed, Zabuza found Haku, and i took solo jobs for assassination. Now that i wasn't being ordered by someone i lost sight of what my purpose was. Never before had i thought the question would pass through my head.

"Why am i here?" I whispered to myself on a daily basis as i stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. "What is my purpose?"


	11. Chapter 11

This is most likely the last chapter.

-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X

As time passed i saw Zabuza less and less, but i never forgot about the one person who had never tried changing me. The last time i had saw him was when i had been hired by a man named Gato to assist Zabuza in the capture of a bridge builder going by the name of Tazuna.

We didn't meet together to plan anything and the first time we tried to capture him it was only Zabuza who went, but Haku saved him before any permanent damage was done. I've been watching the team protecting the bridge builder the past week while Zabuza recovers.

There's the copy nin, and three genin. Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. The Uzumaki was blond and by his chakra i could feel the nine tails, and the girl was nothing interesting as of right now, but she had great chakra control. The Uchiha was a bit better than average, but he had an awoken blood line limit.

When Haku wasn't assisting Zabuza he was with me spying, or gathering herbs. When we had some free time a day before Zabuza would most likely be ready to work again, the two of us had been gathering herbs and had run into the blond haired boy.

"Do you have someone you fight for?" Haku asked him a warm smile gracing his features.

"Yeah i guess, i've got Iruka, Kaka-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke, and Gramps!"

Who do i fight for? I don't think i have anyone. "Well then Naruto-san You will be strong."

I nudged Haku and of we were, but her looked over his shoulder and dropped the bomb, "oh, and i'm a boy."

"What!" Uzumaki Naruto proceeded then to flip out.

"Haku, it was unwise to speak with the enemy even if you wear a mast. What happens if your mask is removed? We don't want to hinder them, not when there's so little fun to be had already."

"It will not be a hindrance Saku-sama." We walked then in silence bringing with us the basket of herbs required to help Zabuza over the last obstacle that comes with near death states.

The place where we had Zabuza resting was a large room with only a bed, and a couch for furnishing. "I thought i instructed you to stay in bed Zabuza." I crossed the room to him and frowned when he crushed an apple, "What a waste. You could've just told us you were feeling better."

"Stop being so annoying brat!"

"I think that at this rate we will be ready to fight tomorrow."

I nodded, "And thanks to your ice user i will have to wear a mask as well."

Zabuza snorted and retorted back, "It's not like you don't wear a mask most of the time anyways Saku. You shouldn't really blame him."

I huffed but did not reply, "I'll be watching your battle from afar. I will interfere if something goes wrong."

-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X-xx-X

From the side of the bridge i watched Haku knock out the entire group of men building the bridge. It was really funny watching the group of genin show up with a missing teammate, but still they freaked out.

Everything was going nicely until the nine-tailed kid showed up and 'tried' to free his friend stuck in Haku's ice mirrors. Note the thick sarcasm.

Even from afar i could see the damage eat boy was taking everytime Haku launched a new wave.

I blinked once in surprise when the Uchiha took one for the blondie then became on edge when red chakra began spinning through the air. Haku teased the blonde about this being the first time losing his friend in battle. Then all hell broke lose.

The fox's chakra healed the boy and with a hard punch to the face, Haku's mask cracked loudly in half falling from his face. The chakra-enhanced fist slowed before hitting Haku's face when the nine-tails chakra vanished.

"What happened to all that power you had before?"

My danger radars peaked and my eye's snapped to Zabuza who had a Chidori aimed at his heart. Without thinking i lurched forwards seeing Haku wouldn't make it in time. I had a poisoned senbon prepared and when I stopped before Zabuza I offered it to him just as the lightning enhanced hand sunk through my chest.

Before me the copy nin's ey's widened. To make the memory worse it did a mild henge to turn into the girl that was once on his team but had died the same way as i.

"I… fin...ally...found...a...answ...er...i...live..to..pro...tect...the...people...i...care ...about." Then i smiled feeling Zabuza take the senbon from my hand, and with one last breath i let the numbness death brings wash over me.


End file.
